Promotional products help spread awareness to the brand, company, or an event’s existence and there’s nothing people love more than free stuff but it’s not always fun and games. Though often times they are for free, people still set certain standards before they consider the merchandise a quality one. Quality merchandises can help the company maintain a great image and bad ones can get the establishment ridiculed or gain bad publicity.

1. Simple – keeping it simple makes advertisements stand out more nowadays and that’s also the case in making promotional products. It is always better to lessen the gimmicks and give the message straight right away. More complex advertised gifts can bring confusion to its users and may blame the company or brand where it was made. Refrigerator magnets, buttons pins, and drink coasters, are an example of simple merchandise.

2. Recognizable – what use are the promotional products when the brand or the company they are advertising were not distinctively put? It is not enough that you put a logo, a slogan, or a brand name in an item. They need to stand out. They need to be readable, matched with a perfect colour scheme, easily remembered, and can easily be read. A well put advertisement on an item can be recognized as fast as a blink of an eye.

3. Functional – with the exception of merchandises built for pure aesthetic purposes such as decorations, promotional products need to be fully functional. You cannot just give away items that do not have a use. Repetition is the key to fast brand awareness and people will not continue using an item that does not really serve any purpose. Pens and USB flash drives are great example of functional merchandises.

4. Durable – quality should always be kept in mind when producing promotional products. You would want to make them last as long as they could and using cheap materials will not get you far. However, keep in mind your budget and don’t go on spending it all buying resources. Think about the campaign or the event that you will be using your merchandises on. Is it really needed to spend a certain amount? Would there be any way that you can make quality materials without spending too much? But at the end of the day, the choice is still up to you.

5. Appropriate – Of course, your merchandise needs to be appropriate with the brand or name that you carry. Imagine for a second that you were given a mug with a logo and name of a local bathroom cleaning product engraved in it. Will you have the guts to drink coffee with it? Or how about a plate with the logo of your local hospital. Can you eat on it without thinking of medicines, sickness, or even food poisoning? Get what I’m trying to say? Be cautious. Most brands can go with almost any item, though.